Post by champ' on Feb 7, 2007 15:05:26 GMT -5
In ragnarok, after Juno patch when 2-2 jobs were introduced, Monk became one of the most popular jobs, simply because of the versatility it offered in terms of gameplay. It is true that considering the skills that the Monk class gets, it can face almost any opponent with a suitable skill to fight against it. To top it off, Monks have a special skill GF/Asura, which although has its potholes, ensures a place for Monk in the PvP / WoE / MvP scene within the game.
Contents
1.1 Quintessential Rules for building a Monk
1.2 Basic Monk building criterias
3. Monk Playing styles
3.1 Explorers
3.2 MvP Boss Killer
3.3 PvP / WoE Monk
3.4 Specialized Builds
3.5 Fastest leveling build to 99
4. How to enhance your leveling effort <------ALL BEGINNERS MUST READ THIS SECTION
5. Asura skill Analysis: So how strong is your Asura?
1.1 Quintessential Rules for building a Monk
Thanks to many previous RO players who have contributed to building a monk, we do have some distinct builds available for Monks. The most common distinction is Combo Monk and Spirit Monk. These two can be combined to form what is known as the Hybrid Monk. There are also specialized builds like Snap (Agi / Dex), Diamond (Vit) Monks and very rare Crit Monk.
All these builds differ from each other in terms of Stats and Skills taken. But they all follow certain rules.
1. Strength: Str should be minimum 100. Str is the most important stat for a Monk. Also like Wizzies max Int first, Monks should try to max Str first. They do need other stats to help in this process, but its futile to max Agi / Int / Dex / Vit before you max Str.
2. Dexterity & Luck: Monks derive atk damage from not only Strength but, Dex and Luk too.
So, when planning build,Str should be in 10x (10,20,30,40 etc), Dex and Luk in 5x.
3. Intelligence: Int provides precious SP. But in itself it doesn't contribute to much. So plan int according to the max SP regen you want. It should be in 6x.One important point to note is that, until total Int is below 45, Eggyra shoes and Sohee shoes provide same SP regen. Alternatively, plan Int according to the Max. Heal amount you desire at lvl 94+, coz heal increases with every 8 base levels if you don't add int. And 94+ is where majority of your lvling time is going to be spent.
4. Vitality: There are misconceptions about about Vit having hidden bonuses in 20x. That is false. Vit should be preferably in 10x as long as it is below 50. The reason for this is under 50 vit, the vit def provided tries to follow a formula of 0.8 * Vit and only at 10x vit (10, 20, 30 etc) it is exactly 0.8 Vit, for any other value its less than 0.8 Vit. Above 50 vit, the formula changes to a A.P. (arith. progression), so any value above 50 the formula slowly rises from 0.8, 0.82, 0.85....
5. Agility: Agility helps a Monk in 2 ways. Firstly it it improves your Flee rate to enable dodging of Monsters and secondly, it improves your Aspd. Now although there is no hard and fast rule for getting Agi, it is important to know that your Aspd does NOT depend upon your base level like your Flee/Hit. So it is critical that you calculate your Agi / Dex so that around lvl 80+ with your current Dex, you have unlocked your max Aspd. Aspd mod for Agi is based in 4x and that for Dex is 10x.
1.2 Basic Monk building criterias: (Stats you should plan for)
What i am trying to suggest here is when you plan you own Monk build here are the criteria you should try to fulfil. Remember that you cannot possibly fulfil ALL of them at the same time, but plan according to what kind of Monk / Champion you ultimately want. These criterias will also help you refine your Stat build to make use of or sacrifice certain stats to enable your Monk to perform well.
With proper gear and Buffs:
Strength:
Str 100 - For basic leveling if you wish to balance your build with other stats
Str 110 - For basic PvP/WoE/MvP
Str 120 w/ phen clip - For pure MvP (Base str 99)
Flee:
Flee 180 at lvl 80 - A good benchmark for facing considerable monster population, aided by Heal of course.
Dexterity:
Dex 50 - Unless its a crit build, 50 is the bare minimum value for dex ANY monk should have.
Dex 70 to 80 - Jack of all/Master of none. Can work for all aspects of the game, PvM/MvP/WoE and if Combo even for PvP. Works better for High Str/Int pure MvP builds.
Dex 90 to 105 - Recommend for Very high offense (120 str) builds to work suitably in WoE/PvP.
Dex 105 to 120 - Recommended for optimum offense (110 str) builds to excel in WoE/PvP as compared to all other builds.
Vitality:
Vit 60 - For best Stun resistance / survivability / and considerably high HP and optimum offensive power. Unless you are a pure Vit Monk, don't go beyond this.
Vit 50 - Excellent combination of offensive power and HP and considerable stun resistance.
Vit 40 - Minimum vit to survive PvP/WoE and offer very high offensive power, but low stun resistance.
Vit 30 - Can manage WoE, especially if aided by very High Str and suitably high Agi to dodge certain opponents. If Agi, then vit 30 is excellent in the PvM/MvP world.
Vit 20 - Minimum vit for ANY kind of Monk. Provides bare minimum survivability in combination with suitable Agi.
Intelligence:
Int 30 - Min. recommended value for any monk (18+12). Any below simply doesn't justify any fighting style, as ultimately Monk derives its power from Buffs which ultimately need some SP regen.
Int 36 - 42 - Suitable for active comboer, best for WoE/PvP, can try mvP.
Int 48 - 60 - MvP/WoE/any Agi/Vit hybrids.
Int 72 - Int for only the pure MvPers (60+12), only consider this if you are willing to avoid PvP/WoE
Int 96 - (82+14 w/ missy) Max. Int for even the Purest of pure MvP monks. Levelling is not going to be fun for these.
Luck:
Luk 5 - Monk and Champs get +3 Luk in job 50/70 bonus stats. So its recommended that we should not waste the +1 Atk possible from 2+3 Luk. This is the minimum value of Luk for ANY monk.
Luk 10 - Str/Dex Monk, who don't need any agi should not waste their starting stats in getting 8 Agi 2 Luk, instead the best starting stats are Agi 3 Luk 7, so that at j50, it becomes 7+3 for getting +2 Atk and +1% perfect dodge. This is the max. recommended value for Luk, unless planning a Crit build.
3. Monk Playing styles:
Instead of discussing about whether a combo monk levels faster or asura monk can MvP etc.... Take a look at how monks play RO. There are pure Explorers (PvM only), PvPers...etc. Each style has its distinct characteristic and stat/skill set most suitable for it. But that doesn't mean a explorer cannot PvP.... its just that he is slighty ineffective. All monks can handle all aspects of the game in varying intensities.... EXCEPT.... Mob training. Its a pity that the price of all this versatility, is the inabilty of Monks / Champions to decently kill mobs of monsters.... They HAVE to do mobs one Monster at a time.
Well going ahead lets see what each playing style has to offer.
3.1 Explorers:
Explorers love to roam around the world of RO. They like to explore or hunt Monsters. The prospect of finding nice loot or rares appeals to them more than PWNing fellow RO players in PvP. Survival under any condition is most valued and thus, investing in defensive stats is a definate yes for them. Many explorers invest in high amounts of Agi AND Vit, thus giving them ability to survive any PvM condition with ease. These characters are good rivals to Hunters/ Agi knights, Sins etc, in terms of collecting items from monsters for quests. Only Rogues with their ability to steal outdo them in that respect.
Stats for Explorers should range between the following (not considering job/equips). Remember that you have to adjust stats according to your gears and check agi/dex for Aspd as it doesn't depend upon base lvl. These are suggested builds and no way adjusted to skills or gear or playing style, you should figure that yourself.
1) Str 99, Agi 70+/-, Vit 24, Int 25, Dex 46,Luk 2
2) Str 89, Agi 80+/-, Vit 24, Int 30, Dex 46,Luk 2
3) Str 82, Agi 80+/-, Vit 34, Int 36, Dex 46, Luk2
extreme explorers only:
4) Str 99, Agi 80+/-. Vit 14, Int 24, Dex 36+/-, Luk 2
5) Str 94, Agi 88, Vit 14, Int 18, Dex 36, Luk 2
3.1.1 Solo Explorer:
This Monk doesn't need to party. He has all the skills /stat at his disposal to solo. He has the perfect combination of offense and defense to explore even considerably dangerous maps without the aid of a party. Pneuma is a must. This monk has to compromise maxing both Heal and Agi up. This monk usually can support only himself, so when he parties with a non-FS character, he cannot cope quite well. As with all characters, with an FS, his performance is highly improved.
Sample build:
Str 90+18+2 (+2 can be HBH, or 2 x kobold clip, or +9 superior.... or a single Mantis)
Agi 78+12 (lvl 3 Inc. Agi)
Dex 36+14
Int 42+12 (You are solo, so higher heal / SP regen is always nice)
Vit 24+6 (+30% HP, and optimum survivability)
Luk 2+3
Acolyte Skill build: (Indicates legend hence forth)
Demon Bane 10 (DB)
Divine Protection 10 (DP)
Bless 10
Ruwach 1, Tele 2, Warp 4, Pneuma 1
Heal 7
Agi 3
Dec. Agi 1
Monk Skill build:
Iron Fists 5 (IF)
Flee 5
Summon spirit sphere 5 (SSS)
Raging tri blow 5 (RTB)
Raging Quad blow 5 (Quad)
Raging Thrust 5 (Thrust)
Mental Strength 2 (MS)
Occult Impaction 5 (OI)
Throw Spirit SPhere 3 (TSS)
Absorb Spirit Sphere 1 (Absorb)
Fury 3
Guillotine Fist 5 (GF/Asura)
Alt: Get GF 1, and put those 4 points in either Heal 10 or TSS 5 / Root 2.
3.1.2 Party Explorer:
A bit less versatile, this Monk doesn't possess certain skills such as Pneuma, or even Warp, that the solo explorer has. The reason behind this is, he prefers to lvl in parties. To make up for his lack of soloing, this Monk has almost max Heal and Agi up, with sufficient int to support himself and a Non-FS character like Blacksmith or Sin/Rogue, to tremendously improve the party lvling of both that chars. His inability to Pneuma, but higher flee / heal, make him an easier character to Support by lower lvl FS's who definately prefer him over a Solo Explorer. When they reach higher levels (80+), these Monks outshine Solo Explorers in terms of speed of leveling. But they are not versatile enough to walk anywhere they please as Solo Explorers are.
Sample Build:
Str 90+20
Agi 79+19
Dex 46+14 (more dex is always welcome)
Int 30+12 (slightly lowered)
Vit 24+6
Luk 2+3
Acolyte Skill Build:
DB 10
DP 10
Bless 10
Agi 10
Heal 9 (Heal 8, Dec. Agi 1 is nice too)
Alternatively, Ruwach, Tele 2, Heal 6, Agi 10
Monk Skill build:
IF 5
Flee 5
SSS 5
RTB 5
Quad 5
Thrust 5
MS 2
OI 5
TSS 3
Absorb 1
Fury 3
GF 5
Alternative: Get GF 1, and put those 4 points in getting Heal 10 and/or TSS 5/Ruwach.
Alt2: Get GF 1, Thrust 4, RTB 10 (more PvM)
3.1.3 Extreme Explorer:
This kind of Monk is extreme end of disassociation from the PvP aspect of Monks. Nothing can beat this Monk in terms of continuous damage output. This monk, not only forgoes his versatility, by losing Pneuma, he forgoes Spirit skills as a Monk, to be the perfect Monster killing machine. This type of Monk can continuosly keep killing Monsters non-stop, without a need for Absorbing SP, or sitting break. The only thing that hinders this Monk is once again, Mob control... But in comparison to other Monk types.... this Monk can handle Monster mobs too, with Mental strength + Pots. Raging Tri Blow 10, is the key difference between regular explorers and extreme explorers.
Stats: 120 str must (atleast 94+26) and as high agi you can get with as low as vit 14, int 18 and dex 36, luk 2.
Sample Build:
Str 94+26
Agi 88+12
Dex 36+14
Int 18+12
Vit 14+6
Luk 2+3
Acolyte Skill Build:
DB 10 Divine Protection 10, Bless 10
Agi 10, Heal 9
Alternatively, Ruwach, Tele 2, Heal 6, Agi 10
Monk Skill build:
IF 10, Flee 5, SS 5,
RTB 10, Quad 5, Thrust 5
OI 5, MS 2, Heal 10
3.2 MvP Boss Killer
These type of Monks have only one intent, get MvP no matter what. To achieve that, their primary focus is only on those stats that boost their Asura/GF damage. 99 base str and a certain level of SP using gears & Int is a must for any kind of pure MvP killer monk. These Monks are also known as Spirit Monks as they maximize all the Spirit skills available, except for Fury. Having said that, there are only 2 variations to this kind of playing style.
3.2.1 Pure MvPer:
These Monks bring their GF damage to perfection. Not only do they get the Str and SP, they even sacrifice their defense capacity to get more Atk power and SP through the Dex/Luk and Int Stat. Adjusting Int and Dex stat is the only play of stats that these Monk have to decide upon. No defensive stat as well as medium dex makes leveling very slow, especially during Acolyte stage. If prompted to choose slight bit of defense, these Monks go for minimal Vit. Overall, these Monks are very very fragile.... Against a strong Mob, for them its certain death if they are solo, consequently restricting the range of Maps they can level at to a handful. Although with their really high Int they are almost as good as lvl 55ish FS Acolytes in terms of heal, but how can a lvl 55 Aco survive mobs??
Lack of Dex mandates carrying a Phen clip. These Monks fare poorly in PvP, where you need good amount of Dex as well as Vit, neither of which this Monk has.
Sample build:
99+21 Str (with 1 mantis clip)
76+14 Int
46+14 Dex
7+3 Luk
24+6 Vit (to be able to survive MvPs)
3+ Agi
At 99, with 2 x carat....... 100k Asuras
Aco skill build:
Heal 10
Bless 10
Db 10
DP 10
Pneuma 8
Agi 1
Monk skill build:
SSS 5
Flee 5
Iron F 5
TSS 5
OI 5
Absorb 1
Fury 3
GF 5
Root 2
Cadence 2
Combo / MS is optional, and you may have to consider dropping TSS to 3 if you want MS 2.
3.2.2 Hybrid MvPer:
The Monks have the bare essentials for MvPing, i.e Str 99, healthy SP..... but they depend upon SP gears for it, thus reducing thier Int stat. This allows them to get minimum Vit and Agi as well. Although this build approaches and is similar to Solo lvler.... the lack of optimal Flee and higher Dex show a significant difference in playing style. These Monks, can actively Combo doing nice damage output, but they are still fragile, needing pots or SP rests unlike the solo lvler. Nevertheless they have much better choices for leveling Solo or with Party than their Pure MvP counterpart and level considerably faster too.
Additionally in a good way,the higher Dex unlocks the doors of WoE to a certain extent.
Stats:
99+21 str (with 1 mantis clip)
42+12 int
51+11 agi
56+14 dex (better lvling using OI)
24+6 Vit
2+3 Luk
Skills: Same is pure MvP build.
3.3 PvP / WoE Monk
Player vs Player is one of the most adrenaline spiking aspect of the game. Fast reflexes, insta-kills, total PWnership is all that everyone goes there for. Well, with Asura you can do that, but that comes with a hefty price. PvP Monks are completely on the opposite end of the Extreme lvlers. Pneuma is a must, and for faster reactions, high dex is absolutely essential. There are some variations within PvP builds too. But here are the most common,
3.3.1 120 Dex Monk (pure PvP)
This Monk is simply made for PvP. He balances his Str only to be optimized for one-hit PvP kills. No need to worry about 60% WoE damage reduction, nor the fact that their base damage is 75% of MvPers.
But 120 Dex with a healthy dose of Str and sufficent Vit, this Monk can deal a LOT of damage in matter of secs. As long as he has SP, he can spam TSS, OI, GF, none of which miss, simply coz, 120 dex + 90+ lvl = 210 Hit.... only Sins/Hunters can try to dodge.. Dbl ancient Pwns them too.
Sample build:
Str 82+18
Dex 99+21 (AoA + 1 x Nimble Glove + phen clip)
Vit 34+6
Int 27+14 (although its not multiple of 6, 34 vit is more important)
Agi 3+
Luk 7+3
Aco skill build:
DB 10, DP 10, Bless 10
Ruwach 1, Tele 2, Warp 4, Pneuma 1
Agi 1, Dec. Agi 1, Heal 9
Monk Skill build:
SSS 5, IF 5, Flee 5
OI 5, TSS 5, Fury 3, Absorb 1, GF 5
Root 5 (Can't tell you how much that pisses Agi melee)
Last 10 points, can be spent in:
1. RTB 5, RQB 3, RT 2
2. RTB 5, Heal 10 (1), Agi 5(4)
3. RTB 5, Heal 10 (1), Agi 3 (2), Cadence 2
3.3.2 War Monks or WoE Monk
WoE oriented Monks have one major point of distinction as compared to PvP, and that is they have a specific role of being last line of defense. Sure they can go flat out obliterating offensively too, but their main role within a guild is taking out opponents intantaneously.
In WoE, phen doesn't work, and there is a 60% damage cap on all skills. Further to become a skilled war monk, you should be deft enough to use Hide to prevent deaths under the hands of enemy wizzies / monks from time to time.
Vitality becomes paramount here as compared to Dex and a minimum value of Vit 40 is absolutely essential to even think about surviving in WoE.
100 Dex is minimum recommended for sufficiently fast cast of GF 5 without being interrupted. 110 is a good balance. Similarly 110 str is minimum recommended Str, needed to
Sample build:
Str 92+18
Dex 83+17 (1 x nimble clip)
Vit 44+6
Int 30+14
Agi 3+
Luk 7+3
Skill list: Same as PvP
Optionally: Mental Strength 2 : You can drop Root to lvl 2, and use those points to get MS 2....... sometimes needed to sacrifice yourselves while entering precasts.
3.4 Specialized Builds
3.4.1 Tanker Build
3.4.2 Crit Build
Critical Build, this is one of the rare builds for Monks. Before we look at what are the possiblities for a crit monk, we need to understand how Crit works and what are its implications.
A critical attack, is similar to raging trifecta blow, in that it is automatically triggered. Each character has a crit rate as well as a crit shield, depending upon how much Luk they have. One of the most useful aspect of critical attack is that it ignores the Flee / Def of the target. Against players or high def monsters, this can be very useful, since almost every player can reduce incoming damage by 25% to 50% depending upon gear alone. In addition to ignoring flee / def, you do bonus +15% damage, which essentially means that you are doing 150% to 230% damage with every Crit attack.
This leads us to the implications of a critical attack on a Monk. A regular monk has passive atk similar to Sins double or Triple attack, which is RTB (200% or 300%). Everytime you do a critical attack, you are negating the chance to trigger RTB. This itself isn't that important as a Critical can do 150% to 300% as well, but, no RTB means you cannot deal RQB and Thrust, whose total damage can vary from additional 700% to 950% in a very short time following RTB.
Similar to how Katar sins, get 200% crit rate by virtue of their weapon, Monks get upto +20 crit rate by virtue of their Skill "Fury". For the sins, Katar prevents use of Shield (no 30% damage reduction), similar for Monks, Fury prevents SP regen, which for a SP intensive character like a Monk is pretty harsh.
Thus, in summary for a Crit build to be successful, under the Fury mode you need to firstly reduce the use of Active offensive skills (OI, TSS) and economize the casting of buffs. Secondly to make passive triggering of RTB more useful, we need to make sure that whenever it does trigger, it is potentially dealing more damage than a Crit attack itself. And lastly, to give the Crit LOCK effect, we need to eliminate the remaining of the Combo tree (no RQB, no RT, no MS, no Snap) so that there is no activation delay after everytime RTB triggers.
Now lets look at the different possibilities for a Crit Monk. I am going to make one build biased for PvM and the other one biased for WoE. Just remember that the difference lies in the skills and not Stats.
3.4.2.1 Natural Crit Monk (PvM):
Natural crit Monk introduces the Stat of Luk into its build. Even when he is not in the Fury mode, he still has the ability to Crit be virtue of his natural crit rate.
3.4.2.2 Pseudo Crit Monk (WoE, The Emp Breaker):
A Pseudo Critical Monk has no Luk in his build (hence pseudo). He prefers to maximize his continuous damage potential, by getting higher Str or Agi, than his natural crit counterpart.
This monk relies on the fact that Monks can be perpetually in Fury mode inside WoE and depend upon SP / HP items. That is because you don't have to self buff or Heal. So, with proper gear and high aspd (no delay from RQB), they can easily crit/RTB lock onto opponents.
Secondly, since they don't have to rely upon OI (always neutral) to hurt heavy Def enemies, they can make good use of Cursed waters to negate the 20% damage reduction offered by Immune garment.
In addition to that to succeed in WoE, this Monk needs to be able to manually cast GF, thus GF 5 (1.33 sec @ 50 dex) is essential. Secondly, since his cast is slow, he needs the ability to Root / GF other enemy melee who keep hitting him, thus Root 5 is essential too. Lastly to enable minimal SP regen under fury, it is useful to get atleast lvl 2 Cadence, by sacrificing RTB 10.
Aco skills:
DB 10, DP 10,
Blessing 10
Heal 8
Agi 2
Dec agi 1
Pneuma 8 (must for WoE)
Monk skills:
IF 5
Flee 5
Summon 5
Absorb 1
Fury 5
RTB 8
OI 5
TSS 3
GF 5
Root 5
Cadence 2
Sample build:
Str 90+20 (2 x kobold clips, or 1 x kobold ring)
Agi 85+11 (inc. agi 2)
Vit 34+6
Int 18+12 (or 14 or 16 depending upon headgear)
Dex 36+14
Luk 2+3
3.4.3 Snap build
As an ultimate final skill for a Monk, one can get the extremely versatile and potent skill Snap in their build. But in order to balance the character, Snap skill comes at a heavy price. Snap skill requires you to invest points in each and every Monk skill, to eventually unlock it at job 48, leaving you with only 2 spare points.
In doing so, you are forced to sacrifice your offensive capacities as a monk. As it has been prior discussed in other threads, the most logical skills to invest those last 2 points are either GF 5, Occult 5, or TSS 5. Prior to the boosting of OI skill during the trans patch, Occult was not a good choice, leaving only to choose from GF or TSS.
But ever since it got its boost, it has become 'the' leveling skill for Monks, making TSS a not desirable option. As always, GF 5 is recommended only for the pure WoE, who doesn't mind a slow (extremely) leveling until 99.
But one can see that in order to gain extreme versatility, you lose out on either Offensive range capability (TSS 3), or Asura effectiveness (GF 3), or lack of fast leveling (OI3). Further you cannot get Raging Quad 5, nor Root 5, which both have their merits.
The other major change in the skill is the fact that, earlier under Fury, it still consumed 1 sphere to use Snap, hence preventing cast of Asura immediately as one had to summon the consumed sphere again. But now, Snap does not consume a sphere under fury mode at all, allowing Monks to snap as long as their SP permits.
This has opened up many possibilties for the Snap stat builds, as earlier one need extremely high dex just to recast spheres quickly as they are consumed. Now that you don't need to recast spheres, you can get moderately high dex and still perform effectively.
There are several possibilities for a Snap monk but I will enumerate 2 types
1. Pure Str / Dex Snap Monk
2. Hybrid Snap Monk
3.5 Fastest Leveling Build to 99
(thanks to Silverstreak for this build)
Most beginners have this idea that the extreme explorer build should be the fastest leveling build on the road to 99. Well that is not the case. Especially since Occult Impaction got its boost in the transcendant patch, OI 5 is simply THE fastest exp generating skill for a Monk. So what this build tries to do and is illustrated in Silver's guide as well is optimize your monk's stat so that you can generate the fastest exp possible.
I will not reiterate why this is the fastest build to 99, you can read that in Silver's guide here. But I will tell you from my personal experience, that before TI, Bathories was the fastest exp possible for a Monk, and an extreme explorer could be lucky to get 900k exp per hour on it (without HS / extra help). This build right here can easily and consistently make 1000k to 1200k per hour depending upon gears. And that too from lvl 70 to lvl 99.
Stats:
79+21 str
60+something agi
24+6 vit
18+14 int
86+22 dex
1+3 luk
Contents
1.1 Quintessential Rules for building a Monk
1.2 Basic Monk building criterias
3. Monk Playing styles
3.1 Explorers
3.2 MvP Boss Killer
3.3 PvP / WoE Monk
3.4 Specialized Builds
3.5 Fastest leveling build to 99
4. How to enhance your leveling effort <------ALL BEGINNERS MUST READ THIS SECTION
5. Asura skill Analysis: So how strong is your Asura?
1.1 Quintessential Rules for building a Monk
Thanks to many previous RO players who have contributed to building a monk, we do have some distinct builds available for Monks. The most common distinction is Combo Monk and Spirit Monk. These two can be combined to form what is known as the Hybrid Monk. There are also specialized builds like Snap (Agi / Dex), Diamond (Vit) Monks and very rare Crit Monk.
All these builds differ from each other in terms of Stats and Skills taken. But they all follow certain rules.
1. Strength: Str should be minimum 100. Str is the most important stat for a Monk. Also like Wizzies max Int first, Monks should try to max Str first. They do need other stats to help in this process, but its futile to max Agi / Int / Dex / Vit before you max Str.
2. Dexterity & Luck: Monks derive atk damage from not only Strength but, Dex and Luk too.
So, when planning build,Str should be in 10x (10,20,30,40 etc), Dex and Luk in 5x.
3. Intelligence: Int provides precious SP. But in itself it doesn't contribute to much. So plan int according to the max SP regen you want. It should be in 6x.One important point to note is that, until total Int is below 45, Eggyra shoes and Sohee shoes provide same SP regen. Alternatively, plan Int according to the Max. Heal amount you desire at lvl 94+, coz heal increases with every 8 base levels if you don't add int. And 94+ is where majority of your lvling time is going to be spent.
4. Vitality: There are misconceptions about about Vit having hidden bonuses in 20x. That is false. Vit should be preferably in 10x as long as it is below 50. The reason for this is under 50 vit, the vit def provided tries to follow a formula of 0.8 * Vit and only at 10x vit (10, 20, 30 etc) it is exactly 0.8 Vit, for any other value its less than 0.8 Vit. Above 50 vit, the formula changes to a A.P. (arith. progression), so any value above 50 the formula slowly rises from 0.8, 0.82, 0.85....
5. Agility: Agility helps a Monk in 2 ways. Firstly it it improves your Flee rate to enable dodging of Monsters and secondly, it improves your Aspd. Now although there is no hard and fast rule for getting Agi, it is important to know that your Aspd does NOT depend upon your base level like your Flee/Hit. So it is critical that you calculate your Agi / Dex so that around lvl 80+ with your current Dex, you have unlocked your max Aspd. Aspd mod for Agi is based in 4x and that for Dex is 10x.
1.2 Basic Monk building criterias: (Stats you should plan for)
What i am trying to suggest here is when you plan you own Monk build here are the criteria you should try to fulfil. Remember that you cannot possibly fulfil ALL of them at the same time, but plan according to what kind of Monk / Champion you ultimately want. These criterias will also help you refine your Stat build to make use of or sacrifice certain stats to enable your Monk to perform well.
With proper gear and Buffs:
Strength:
Str 100 - For basic leveling if you wish to balance your build with other stats
Str 110 - For basic PvP/WoE/MvP
Str 120 w/ phen clip - For pure MvP (Base str 99)
Flee:
Flee 180 at lvl 80 - A good benchmark for facing considerable monster population, aided by Heal of course.
Dexterity:
Dex 50 - Unless its a crit build, 50 is the bare minimum value for dex ANY monk should have.
Dex 70 to 80 - Jack of all/Master of none. Can work for all aspects of the game, PvM/MvP/WoE and if Combo even for PvP. Works better for High Str/Int pure MvP builds.
Dex 90 to 105 - Recommend for Very high offense (120 str) builds to work suitably in WoE/PvP.
Dex 105 to 120 - Recommended for optimum offense (110 str) builds to excel in WoE/PvP as compared to all other builds.
Vitality:
Vit 60 - For best Stun resistance / survivability / and considerably high HP and optimum offensive power. Unless you are a pure Vit Monk, don't go beyond this.
Vit 50 - Excellent combination of offensive power and HP and considerable stun resistance.
Vit 40 - Minimum vit to survive PvP/WoE and offer very high offensive power, but low stun resistance.
Vit 30 - Can manage WoE, especially if aided by very High Str and suitably high Agi to dodge certain opponents. If Agi, then vit 30 is excellent in the PvM/MvP world.
Vit 20 - Minimum vit for ANY kind of Monk. Provides bare minimum survivability in combination with suitable Agi.
Intelligence:
Int 30 - Min. recommended value for any monk (18+12). Any below simply doesn't justify any fighting style, as ultimately Monk derives its power from Buffs which ultimately need some SP regen.
Int 36 - 42 - Suitable for active comboer, best for WoE/PvP, can try mvP.
Int 48 - 60 - MvP/WoE/any Agi/Vit hybrids.
Int 72 - Int for only the pure MvPers (60+12), only consider this if you are willing to avoid PvP/WoE
Int 96 - (82+14 w/ missy) Max. Int for even the Purest of pure MvP monks. Levelling is not going to be fun for these.
Luck:
Luk 5 - Monk and Champs get +3 Luk in job 50/70 bonus stats. So its recommended that we should not waste the +1 Atk possible from 2+3 Luk. This is the minimum value of Luk for ANY monk.
Luk 10 - Str/Dex Monk, who don't need any agi should not waste their starting stats in getting 8 Agi 2 Luk, instead the best starting stats are Agi 3 Luk 7, so that at j50, it becomes 7+3 for getting +2 Atk and +1% perfect dodge. This is the max. recommended value for Luk, unless planning a Crit build.
3. Monk Playing styles:
Instead of discussing about whether a combo monk levels faster or asura monk can MvP etc.... Take a look at how monks play RO. There are pure Explorers (PvM only), PvPers...etc. Each style has its distinct characteristic and stat/skill set most suitable for it. But that doesn't mean a explorer cannot PvP.... its just that he is slighty ineffective. All monks can handle all aspects of the game in varying intensities.... EXCEPT.... Mob training. Its a pity that the price of all this versatility, is the inabilty of Monks / Champions to decently kill mobs of monsters.... They HAVE to do mobs one Monster at a time.
Well going ahead lets see what each playing style has to offer.
3.1 Explorers:
Explorers love to roam around the world of RO. They like to explore or hunt Monsters. The prospect of finding nice loot or rares appeals to them more than PWNing fellow RO players in PvP. Survival under any condition is most valued and thus, investing in defensive stats is a definate yes for them. Many explorers invest in high amounts of Agi AND Vit, thus giving them ability to survive any PvM condition with ease. These characters are good rivals to Hunters/ Agi knights, Sins etc, in terms of collecting items from monsters for quests. Only Rogues with their ability to steal outdo them in that respect.
Stats for Explorers should range between the following (not considering job/equips). Remember that you have to adjust stats according to your gears and check agi/dex for Aspd as it doesn't depend upon base lvl. These are suggested builds and no way adjusted to skills or gear or playing style, you should figure that yourself.
1) Str 99, Agi 70+/-, Vit 24, Int 25, Dex 46,Luk 2
2) Str 89, Agi 80+/-, Vit 24, Int 30, Dex 46,Luk 2
3) Str 82, Agi 80+/-, Vit 34, Int 36, Dex 46, Luk2
extreme explorers only:
4) Str 99, Agi 80+/-. Vit 14, Int 24, Dex 36+/-, Luk 2
5) Str 94, Agi 88, Vit 14, Int 18, Dex 36, Luk 2
3.1.1 Solo Explorer:
This Monk doesn't need to party. He has all the skills /stat at his disposal to solo. He has the perfect combination of offense and defense to explore even considerably dangerous maps without the aid of a party. Pneuma is a must. This monk has to compromise maxing both Heal and Agi up. This monk usually can support only himself, so when he parties with a non-FS character, he cannot cope quite well. As with all characters, with an FS, his performance is highly improved.
Sample build:
Str 90+18+2 (+2 can be HBH, or 2 x kobold clip, or +9 superior.... or a single Mantis)
Agi 78+12 (lvl 3 Inc. Agi)
Dex 36+14
Int 42+12 (You are solo, so higher heal / SP regen is always nice)
Vit 24+6 (+30% HP, and optimum survivability)
Luk 2+3
Acolyte Skill build: (Indicates legend hence forth)
Demon Bane 10 (DB)
Divine Protection 10 (DP)
Bless 10
Ruwach 1, Tele 2, Warp 4, Pneuma 1
Heal 7
Agi 3
Dec. Agi 1
Monk Skill build:
Iron Fists 5 (IF)
Flee 5
Summon spirit sphere 5 (SSS)
Raging tri blow 5 (RTB)
Raging Quad blow 5 (Quad)
Raging Thrust 5 (Thrust)
Mental Strength 2 (MS)
Occult Impaction 5 (OI)
Throw Spirit SPhere 3 (TSS)
Absorb Spirit Sphere 1 (Absorb)
Fury 3
Guillotine Fist 5 (GF/Asura)
Alt: Get GF 1, and put those 4 points in either Heal 10 or TSS 5 / Root 2.
3.1.2 Party Explorer:
A bit less versatile, this Monk doesn't possess certain skills such as Pneuma, or even Warp, that the solo explorer has. The reason behind this is, he prefers to lvl in parties. To make up for his lack of soloing, this Monk has almost max Heal and Agi up, with sufficient int to support himself and a Non-FS character like Blacksmith or Sin/Rogue, to tremendously improve the party lvling of both that chars. His inability to Pneuma, but higher flee / heal, make him an easier character to Support by lower lvl FS's who definately prefer him over a Solo Explorer. When they reach higher levels (80+), these Monks outshine Solo Explorers in terms of speed of leveling. But they are not versatile enough to walk anywhere they please as Solo Explorers are.
Sample Build:
Str 90+20
Agi 79+19
Dex 46+14 (more dex is always welcome)
Int 30+12 (slightly lowered)
Vit 24+6
Luk 2+3
Acolyte Skill Build:
DB 10
DP 10
Bless 10
Agi 10
Heal 9 (Heal 8, Dec. Agi 1 is nice too)
Alternatively, Ruwach, Tele 2, Heal 6, Agi 10
Monk Skill build:
IF 5
Flee 5
SSS 5
RTB 5
Quad 5
Thrust 5
MS 2
OI 5
TSS 3
Absorb 1
Fury 3
GF 5
Alternative: Get GF 1, and put those 4 points in getting Heal 10 and/or TSS 5/Ruwach.
Alt2: Get GF 1, Thrust 4, RTB 10 (more PvM)
3.1.3 Extreme Explorer:
This kind of Monk is extreme end of disassociation from the PvP aspect of Monks. Nothing can beat this Monk in terms of continuous damage output. This monk, not only forgoes his versatility, by losing Pneuma, he forgoes Spirit skills as a Monk, to be the perfect Monster killing machine. This type of Monk can continuosly keep killing Monsters non-stop, without a need for Absorbing SP, or sitting break. The only thing that hinders this Monk is once again, Mob control... But in comparison to other Monk types.... this Monk can handle Monster mobs too, with Mental strength + Pots. Raging Tri Blow 10, is the key difference between regular explorers and extreme explorers.
Stats: 120 str must (atleast 94+26) and as high agi you can get with as low as vit 14, int 18 and dex 36, luk 2.
Sample Build:
Str 94+26
Agi 88+12
Dex 36+14
Int 18+12
Vit 14+6
Luk 2+3
Acolyte Skill Build:
DB 10 Divine Protection 10, Bless 10
Agi 10, Heal 9
Alternatively, Ruwach, Tele 2, Heal 6, Agi 10
Monk Skill build:
IF 10, Flee 5, SS 5,
RTB 10, Quad 5, Thrust 5
OI 5, MS 2, Heal 10
3.2 MvP Boss Killer
These type of Monks have only one intent, get MvP no matter what. To achieve that, their primary focus is only on those stats that boost their Asura/GF damage. 99 base str and a certain level of SP using gears & Int is a must for any kind of pure MvP killer monk. These Monks are also known as Spirit Monks as they maximize all the Spirit skills available, except for Fury. Having said that, there are only 2 variations to this kind of playing style.
3.2.1 Pure MvPer:
These Monks bring their GF damage to perfection. Not only do they get the Str and SP, they even sacrifice their defense capacity to get more Atk power and SP through the Dex/Luk and Int Stat. Adjusting Int and Dex stat is the only play of stats that these Monk have to decide upon. No defensive stat as well as medium dex makes leveling very slow, especially during Acolyte stage. If prompted to choose slight bit of defense, these Monks go for minimal Vit. Overall, these Monks are very very fragile.... Against a strong Mob, for them its certain death if they are solo, consequently restricting the range of Maps they can level at to a handful. Although with their really high Int they are almost as good as lvl 55ish FS Acolytes in terms of heal, but how can a lvl 55 Aco survive mobs??
Lack of Dex mandates carrying a Phen clip. These Monks fare poorly in PvP, where you need good amount of Dex as well as Vit, neither of which this Monk has.
Sample build:
99+21 Str (with 1 mantis clip)
76+14 Int
46+14 Dex
7+3 Luk
24+6 Vit (to be able to survive MvPs)
3+ Agi
At 99, with 2 x carat....... 100k Asuras
Aco skill build:
Heal 10
Bless 10
Db 10
DP 10
Pneuma 8
Agi 1
Monk skill build:
SSS 5
Flee 5
Iron F 5
TSS 5
OI 5
Absorb 1
Fury 3
GF 5
Root 2
Cadence 2
Combo / MS is optional, and you may have to consider dropping TSS to 3 if you want MS 2.
3.2.2 Hybrid MvPer:
The Monks have the bare essentials for MvPing, i.e Str 99, healthy SP..... but they depend upon SP gears for it, thus reducing thier Int stat. This allows them to get minimum Vit and Agi as well. Although this build approaches and is similar to Solo lvler.... the lack of optimal Flee and higher Dex show a significant difference in playing style. These Monks, can actively Combo doing nice damage output, but they are still fragile, needing pots or SP rests unlike the solo lvler. Nevertheless they have much better choices for leveling Solo or with Party than their Pure MvP counterpart and level considerably faster too.
Additionally in a good way,the higher Dex unlocks the doors of WoE to a certain extent.
Stats:
99+21 str (with 1 mantis clip)
42+12 int
51+11 agi
56+14 dex (better lvling using OI)
24+6 Vit
2+3 Luk
Skills: Same is pure MvP build.
3.3 PvP / WoE Monk
Player vs Player is one of the most adrenaline spiking aspect of the game. Fast reflexes, insta-kills, total PWnership is all that everyone goes there for. Well, with Asura you can do that, but that comes with a hefty price. PvP Monks are completely on the opposite end of the Extreme lvlers. Pneuma is a must, and for faster reactions, high dex is absolutely essential. There are some variations within PvP builds too. But here are the most common,
3.3.1 120 Dex Monk (pure PvP)
This Monk is simply made for PvP. He balances his Str only to be optimized for one-hit PvP kills. No need to worry about 60% WoE damage reduction, nor the fact that their base damage is 75% of MvPers.
But 120 Dex with a healthy dose of Str and sufficent Vit, this Monk can deal a LOT of damage in matter of secs. As long as he has SP, he can spam TSS, OI, GF, none of which miss, simply coz, 120 dex + 90+ lvl = 210 Hit.... only Sins/Hunters can try to dodge.. Dbl ancient Pwns them too.
Sample build:
Str 82+18
Dex 99+21 (AoA + 1 x Nimble Glove + phen clip)
Vit 34+6
Int 27+14 (although its not multiple of 6, 34 vit is more important)
Agi 3+
Luk 7+3
Aco skill build:
DB 10, DP 10, Bless 10
Ruwach 1, Tele 2, Warp 4, Pneuma 1
Agi 1, Dec. Agi 1, Heal 9
Monk Skill build:
SSS 5, IF 5, Flee 5
OI 5, TSS 5, Fury 3, Absorb 1, GF 5
Root 5 (Can't tell you how much that pisses Agi melee)
Last 10 points, can be spent in:
1. RTB 5, RQB 3, RT 2
2. RTB 5, Heal 10 (1), Agi 5(4)
3. RTB 5, Heal 10 (1), Agi 3 (2), Cadence 2
3.3.2 War Monks or WoE Monk
WoE oriented Monks have one major point of distinction as compared to PvP, and that is they have a specific role of being last line of defense. Sure they can go flat out obliterating offensively too, but their main role within a guild is taking out opponents intantaneously.
In WoE, phen doesn't work, and there is a 60% damage cap on all skills. Further to become a skilled war monk, you should be deft enough to use Hide to prevent deaths under the hands of enemy wizzies / monks from time to time.
Vitality becomes paramount here as compared to Dex and a minimum value of Vit 40 is absolutely essential to even think about surviving in WoE.
100 Dex is minimum recommended for sufficiently fast cast of GF 5 without being interrupted. 110 is a good balance. Similarly 110 str is minimum recommended Str, needed to
Sample build:
Str 92+18
Dex 83+17 (1 x nimble clip)
Vit 44+6
Int 30+14
Agi 3+
Luk 7+3
Skill list: Same as PvP
Optionally: Mental Strength 2 : You can drop Root to lvl 2, and use those points to get MS 2....... sometimes needed to sacrifice yourselves while entering precasts.
3.4 Specialized Builds
3.4.1 Tanker Build
3.4.2 Crit Build
Critical Build, this is one of the rare builds for Monks. Before we look at what are the possiblities for a crit monk, we need to understand how Crit works and what are its implications.
A critical attack, is similar to raging trifecta blow, in that it is automatically triggered. Each character has a crit rate as well as a crit shield, depending upon how much Luk they have. One of the most useful aspect of critical attack is that it ignores the Flee / Def of the target. Against players or high def monsters, this can be very useful, since almost every player can reduce incoming damage by 25% to 50% depending upon gear alone. In addition to ignoring flee / def, you do bonus +15% damage, which essentially means that you are doing 150% to 230% damage with every Crit attack.
This leads us to the implications of a critical attack on a Monk. A regular monk has passive atk similar to Sins double or Triple attack, which is RTB (200% or 300%). Everytime you do a critical attack, you are negating the chance to trigger RTB. This itself isn't that important as a Critical can do 150% to 300% as well, but, no RTB means you cannot deal RQB and Thrust, whose total damage can vary from additional 700% to 950% in a very short time following RTB.
Similar to how Katar sins, get 200% crit rate by virtue of their weapon, Monks get upto +20 crit rate by virtue of their Skill "Fury". For the sins, Katar prevents use of Shield (no 30% damage reduction), similar for Monks, Fury prevents SP regen, which for a SP intensive character like a Monk is pretty harsh.
Thus, in summary for a Crit build to be successful, under the Fury mode you need to firstly reduce the use of Active offensive skills (OI, TSS) and economize the casting of buffs. Secondly to make passive triggering of RTB more useful, we need to make sure that whenever it does trigger, it is potentially dealing more damage than a Crit attack itself. And lastly, to give the Crit LOCK effect, we need to eliminate the remaining of the Combo tree (no RQB, no RT, no MS, no Snap) so that there is no activation delay after everytime RTB triggers.
Now lets look at the different possibilities for a Crit Monk. I am going to make one build biased for PvM and the other one biased for WoE. Just remember that the difference lies in the skills and not Stats.
3.4.2.1 Natural Crit Monk (PvM):
Natural crit Monk introduces the Stat of Luk into its build. Even when he is not in the Fury mode, he still has the ability to Crit be virtue of his natural crit rate.
3.4.2.2 Pseudo Crit Monk (WoE, The Emp Breaker):
A Pseudo Critical Monk has no Luk in his build (hence pseudo). He prefers to maximize his continuous damage potential, by getting higher Str or Agi, than his natural crit counterpart.
This monk relies on the fact that Monks can be perpetually in Fury mode inside WoE and depend upon SP / HP items. That is because you don't have to self buff or Heal. So, with proper gear and high aspd (no delay from RQB), they can easily crit/RTB lock onto opponents.
Secondly, since they don't have to rely upon OI (always neutral) to hurt heavy Def enemies, they can make good use of Cursed waters to negate the 20% damage reduction offered by Immune garment.
In addition to that to succeed in WoE, this Monk needs to be able to manually cast GF, thus GF 5 (1.33 sec @ 50 dex) is essential. Secondly, since his cast is slow, he needs the ability to Root / GF other enemy melee who keep hitting him, thus Root 5 is essential too. Lastly to enable minimal SP regen under fury, it is useful to get atleast lvl 2 Cadence, by sacrificing RTB 10.
Aco skills:
DB 10, DP 10,
Blessing 10
Heal 8
Agi 2
Dec agi 1
Pneuma 8 (must for WoE)
Monk skills:
IF 5
Flee 5
Summon 5
Absorb 1
Fury 5
RTB 8
OI 5
TSS 3
GF 5
Root 5
Cadence 2
Sample build:
Str 90+20 (2 x kobold clips, or 1 x kobold ring)
Agi 85+11 (inc. agi 2)
Vit 34+6
Int 18+12 (or 14 or 16 depending upon headgear)
Dex 36+14
Luk 2+3
3.4.3 Snap build
As an ultimate final skill for a Monk, one can get the extremely versatile and potent skill Snap in their build. But in order to balance the character, Snap skill comes at a heavy price. Snap skill requires you to invest points in each and every Monk skill, to eventually unlock it at job 48, leaving you with only 2 spare points.
In doing so, you are forced to sacrifice your offensive capacities as a monk. As it has been prior discussed in other threads, the most logical skills to invest those last 2 points are either GF 5, Occult 5, or TSS 5. Prior to the boosting of OI skill during the trans patch, Occult was not a good choice, leaving only to choose from GF or TSS.
But ever since it got its boost, it has become 'the' leveling skill for Monks, making TSS a not desirable option. As always, GF 5 is recommended only for the pure WoE, who doesn't mind a slow (extremely) leveling until 99.
But one can see that in order to gain extreme versatility, you lose out on either Offensive range capability (TSS 3), or Asura effectiveness (GF 3), or lack of fast leveling (OI3). Further you cannot get Raging Quad 5, nor Root 5, which both have their merits.
The other major change in the skill is the fact that, earlier under Fury, it still consumed 1 sphere to use Snap, hence preventing cast of Asura immediately as one had to summon the consumed sphere again. But now, Snap does not consume a sphere under fury mode at all, allowing Monks to snap as long as their SP permits.
This has opened up many possibilties for the Snap stat builds, as earlier one need extremely high dex just to recast spheres quickly as they are consumed. Now that you don't need to recast spheres, you can get moderately high dex and still perform effectively.
There are several possibilities for a Snap monk but I will enumerate 2 types
1. Pure Str / Dex Snap Monk
2. Hybrid Snap Monk
3.5 Fastest Leveling Build to 99
(thanks to Silverstreak for this build)
Most beginners have this idea that the extreme explorer build should be the fastest leveling build on the road to 99. Well that is not the case. Especially since Occult Impaction got its boost in the transcendant patch, OI 5 is simply THE fastest exp generating skill for a Monk. So what this build tries to do and is illustrated in Silver's guide as well is optimize your monk's stat so that you can generate the fastest exp possible.
I will not reiterate why this is the fastest build to 99, you can read that in Silver's guide here. But I will tell you from my personal experience, that before TI, Bathories was the fastest exp possible for a Monk, and an extreme explorer could be lucky to get 900k exp per hour on it (without HS / extra help). This build right here can easily and consistently make 1000k to 1200k per hour depending upon gears. And that too from lvl 70 to lvl 99.
Stats:
79+21 str
60+something agi
24+6 vit
18+14 int
86+22 dex
1+3 luk
